I was so excited to have been asked by Terri to be the December Guest Designer for her ROCKIN' Kit Club, Color Me Miki! I created a couple of layouts, some cards, and a wreath (with directions to create your own)! Be sure to check out the kit as I know this one won't last long! Also, Congrats to Em, Color Me Miki's new Design Team member!

Is this not the sweetest Get Well card?!?Katina's daughter, Marissa, created this and brought it to me the other night! What a little sweetheart! Thanks Marissa! Definitely made me feel better!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving today celebrated big but in a small way! It was just US and that is special! Just Mark, Ryan, Erik and I. We all pitched in to cook. Mark made the turkey along with mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes. Erik created home made rolls with rising dough and everything! Ryan made yummy baked apples and a pumpkin pie! I roasted some veggies and made a up some deviled eggs! Dinner was amazing, a ton of food and delicious!!

Last night the Fam Damily headed to Hollywood to watch the Tony award winning play, Spring Awakening! It was an awesome show! I highly recommend it but... take head of the warnings about nudity, simulated sex acts, etc. Those who know me know my liberal parenting style paird with teens, it was a good time. The play was written back in the late 1800's and tackles all the things teens have to deal with as they become adults! It was an amazing production that transends the test of time! Go see it!

my Advent calendar from 2 years has been getting a lot of hits.
This was a class I taught at the LSS a couple years back, I no longer have any
kits available. However, I will gladly post the directions here along
with the photo. The "?" measurement will depend on the size cookie
sheet you use. If you decide to create this, I would love to see your
version, so be sure to link me up when you post yours! If you have any
questions, feel free to contact me! Enjoy!

Advent Calendar

How many more days until Christmas?

How many times do you think you will hear that this season?Well here is a fun way for your family to keep track.This Advent calendar is created on the back of a cookie sheet using some fun chipboard pieces from Ki Memories.All the numbers are easily stored on the inside of the cookie sheet when not in use.

1 package Thickers by American Crafts (mine are Root beer Float in Black)

4 felt flowers (optional, mine are from American Crafts)

1-yard thick ribbon

½ yard each of 2 other ribbons

Set of numbers, I used Quickutz Olivia font, you can also use small rub-ons or hand write

them.

Magnets, thin ones you can cut to size.

Glue dots

Adhesive

Black pen

Ruler

Crop-a-dile or drill

Sand paper or sanding block

Foam paintbrush

Instructions:

Using your Crop-a-dial punch 2 holes at the top about 5 inches apart.

Lightly sand the back of your cookie sheet.

Use your foam brush to paint the cookie sheet.You can paint the edges too if you would like.You do not need to paint the middle where the paper will be.Allow to dry.

Cut your white cardstock to 10X10.Use your black pen and ruler to draw out a grid 2” X 2”.You should end up with a total of 25 squares.

Cut your pattern paper ?X12 for the top and ?X12 for the bottom.

Adhere pattern paper and cardstock grid to the cookie sheet.

Lightly paint edges with the white paint.Allow to dry.

Use your ruler to align the title “Count down”.

Use bits of ribbon and tie around the “C” and the “O” then adhere to cookie sheet.

Outline a felt flower with your black pen.Tie a bit of ribbon around the number “2” then adhere to the felt flower.Adhere with glue dots under the title “Count down”.

Use your ruler to align the word “Christmas”.Adhere to cookie sheet under the grid.

Layout Hip Chips on grid as desired (do not adhere yet).

Add felt flower backing and ribbons as desired.

Adhere magnets to the back of each Hip Chip piece.Remove
the adhesive on the back of the Hip Chips and use glue dots as well
since the adhesive is not strong enough to keep the magnets adhered
when pulling them off the cookie sheet.

Cut numbers from Quickutz (black card stock for 1 – 24 and red for 25) or use rub-ons.Adhere numbers to the Hip Chips.I ran mine through my Xyron X-box.

Adhere Hip Chip scroll under the word “Christmas”

String thick ribbon through holes at top and hang on your wall or use an easel on your counter.

Mark and I arrived home yesterday afternoon and after my mild heart
attack thinking my car had been stolen. I even had to call my co-worker Jennifer to ask her where we had parked and if my car was there when she returned last Wednesday night. I realized that Mark had us on
a different airlines for my return than my boss had me leave on therefore, my car was
not parked in terminal 4, it was an hour walk the other way, right
where I had left it at terminal 2. Mark insisted that I wait "here" and he would go get the car then pick me up but I wasn't having any of it, I wanted to get to the car and get home.

We did have a bit of fun switching planes in Dallas where Mark hooked me up with a waiting wheel chair and ran with me to the sky tram. We kept looking at the time as we only had about 20 minutes to get from our arrival gate to our departure gate. Once off the tram, Mark ran us to our gate and we arrived just as everyone was lined up and boarding. Mark asked the worker checking tickets about our seats as we never got any assigned to us. She walked over to the counter and handed Mark our tickets which had already been printed out and were waiting for us! She then let us cut in front of those in line and we went on our merry way. We got about half way down the ramp to the plane and came upon another line of people getting on the plane. It was there, in the middle of the ramp, that we ditched the wheel chair. Whew!

Last night was the best sleep
I had had in awhile no needles or midnight blood pressure checks!! I
took 2 Vicodin and went to bed at 7:30 PST, of course I was still on TX
time which would have been 9:30pm. I slept so soundly that Mark woke me
just to make sure I was still breathing. And boy did I have some
weird-ass dreams!! I slept until 10am this morning and swear, I probably could have
slept longer!

Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers and a
special thanks to Christine for coming out and visiting me, for
hooking my man up with Texas BBQ which he is still bragging about, for
all the thought you put into my goodie bag, it is all truly appreciated!

Thank you to my WIN bosses and Team for the flowers sent to me in the hospital. Thanks to Leslie and Diane for the beautiful basket of plants sent to my home today, to my mom for bringing me flowers today, and to my WIN co-workers for the beer mug flowers and the note to "get your ass back here" !! THANKS!!

You know the saying, "I left my heart in San Francisco, or Texas, or where ever". Well, I am leaving my gallbladder in Texas, Austin to be specific.

Looking back, I guess I had been having mini attacks for a bit, you know, too much cookie dough or movie theater popcorn, etc.Flying into Austin Sunday with my co-worker Jennifer, we decided day one would be a "no focus on diets" day. We had burgers in Houston during our layover then churros from Jack in th Box for the ride from the airport to the hotel. Later that night for dinner I had a salad and these fried green beans from TGI Friday's topped off with some chocolate ice cream back in our hotel room. Well that was enough for my to grab my tummy like a little kid who finished off the candy bowl after their mom told/warned them to stop. I knew I would pay for it that night a suffer my tummy ache till morning.

Well, morning came and I still wasn't feeling too good but showered and prepared for day one of "Train the Trainer". All was good, I was just a bit uncomfortable but good nonetheless. Lunch time came and we headed off to Mimi's with a couple other interpreters. While everyone ordered, I ran to the bathroom where things just came up, I vomited and it was gross. I don't even remember the last time I had thrown up.(Sorry if this is TMI, I am typing under the influence of drugs)So cleaned up and headed back to training with the others. And like timework with our breaks I headed to the bathroom for round 2 then round 3. Finally training was done for the day and back to the hotel room and straight to bed. This had to be it, I paid my dues for "junking out" and now just want to get better. Instead I kept feeling worse. Finally I had Jennifer take me to the emergency room down the street from our hotel room where they saw me pretty much right away. The took blood and noticed I was jaundice. They also sent me for an ultrasound where they noticed the gallbladder stones and the inflamed pancreas. The blood work confirmed my elevated kidney functions and I was admitted.I explained my case that I was there for business and had a flight to catch Wednesday. Doctor said, "yeah, probably going to miss that flight as you are SICK and need to have your gallbladder removed after your pancreas infection improves.."So it was a waiting game until the blood draw numbers showed improvement. Today was the day. I had surgery at noon today. It was a 30 minute procedure. Now I sit with compression booties on my calves, achy shoulders and 3 incisions on my stomach and one in my belly button.Not sure when we will officially be discharged (we meaning Mark and I). Mark flew in last night when he learned that I would be having surgery. He is here to take care of me. Sweetheart that he is! We tried to get a return flight for Friday but no luck so will be flying home on Saturday.

First, thoughts and prayers to all those affected by the fires burning in So.Cal and to the firefighters out there fighting them! Mark hasn't been called out yet, but I am sure it is just a matter of time.

Also today, the new prompt at Gutter Girlz is up! Would love to see what you come up with! Here is my layout for the new prompt:

and now I am off to finish up the laundry and complete my packing for my last minute business trip to Austin, Texas! Jennifer and I leave bright (er rather dark) and early tomorrow morning and return late Wednesday night!

Last Tuesday was election day but one unlike any other. No matter the winner, history was going to be made. If John McCain and Sarah Palin had won, he would have been the oldest President elected and she, the first woman elected to Vice President. However, that was not to be.

The history instead was more profound as Americans voted in record numbers to elect Barak Obama and Joe Biden. American made history by electing their first African-American President. A man who gives America a new hope for the future. The whole world watched and celebrated this victory.

Ryan was able to vote for the first time in this election. We chatted about the candidated and the different propisitions then went to the middle school to cast our votes!